Last credits
by Rosirinoa
Summary: Petra only needs a few credits so she can graduate college. She's majoring on Internacional Commerce and the only option she has is to take history class with the strictest professor of the university: Levi Ackerman. Will she abbandon his class, or take the challlenge? College AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Last credits.**

"History?!"

A yell was heard from the office of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty Coordinator. A couple minutes before, a girl with copper-colored hair had entered to speak with the professor about some credits she needed to graduate. Nevertheless, the coordinator's answer didn't like her at all.

"Yes, Miss Ral." Said the Professor "if you take history class this semester, you will be able to graduate this year."

"But, Mr. Smith… my major is international commerce, and that class isn't even related to it. Besides, I haven't study history since high school."

"I'm aware of that, Miss Ral, but that's the only choice I can offer you, so you could finish your studies on time." The girl remained silent and she answered after a moment.

"Aright… I understand. I really appreciate it." A tiny smile appeared on her face "but… the class is in another faculty, right?"

"Indeed." Suddenly, his eyes shone "but the history teacher is a good friend of mine, as well as the Social Sciences Faculty Coordinator, so we won't have any problems with you taking that class."

"Well, that's convenient… alright, then I'll take it. I suppose the class will start…"

"Next week," Erwin smiled "at 7 AM sharp. The Professor is extremely punctual." She nodded and was about to leave the cubicle "oh, and Miss Ral… good luck."

Petra didn't know what to make of Erwin's last words, so she forgot about them after a moment. Nevertheless, during the first five minutes of the class, she remembered her Coordinator's words very well.

A man with black hair and piercing blue eyes started the class at 7 AM, leaving crystal clear that he wouldn't let any student in the class room after the stablished hour.

"My name is Levi Ackerman, and I will be your history teacher for this semester. I majored in Economics, have a Master degree in History and I hold a PhD. In Archaeological Sciences, which means I', completely capable of teaching History class. My office is located in the 3A building, number 117. In case you need academic counseling, you can find me there. That's all you need to know about me." He walked in front of the board, with a threatening attitude, despite his short height "I'm going to say this once: anyone who's not willing to learn history and doesn't want to be here, can step out of the classroom. This class is only for people who's interested on the subject. But don't worry, I'll give you a passing grade of 7/10."

There was silence in the room and the students wondered if he was being serious or not, but none of them dared to leave the classroom. The Professor had a smirk at the corner of his mouth, as if he was enjoying the student's uncertainty.

"Very well, you don't have to decide right now. Just don't come to the next class. But this offer will stand only for these two days. And for the ones who decide to take the class, let me tell you it won't be an easy one. I expect the best of my students, I will leave assignments every day, research papers, there will a final essay and three exams. We've got six months to complete the program, and that's enough time to study history from the renascence to modern times."

The professor looked at his pupils, studying them, trying to not have expectations about them, but he knew that, undoubtedly, many of them would chose the easy path and abandon his class.

"Not many people appreciate history, but I can tell you… if you don't, you will be condemned to repeat it. Hegel said "History in general is therefore the development of Spirit in Time, as Nature is the development of the Idea is Space." Of course, I don't expect you to understand this…" he made a pause "this is how you guys will be evaluated…"

And then he took a marker and began to write on the board, while the students took notes. As for Petra, she was perplexed. She'd never had a teacher like this. His attitude seemed arrogant and unreasonable, but she had to admit that, despite his rather short age (he had to be on his early thirties), he appeared to be an expert on his area.

Before finishing the class, Professor Ackerman sat on his chair and took a piece of paper.

"Before you leave, I will take attendance." He had that smirk on his face again, but this time, Petra could only describe it as evil "I'd like to know how many deserters I'll have for this class. I might break my own record with this group."

And then he started to name all of the students in the class, while writing something down on the paper, and then….

"Petra Ral…"

"Here." She answered solemnly, her eyes meeting his deep blue ones for the first time. Their gazed had met a few times during the class, but he didn't seem to actually look at her, as if he was looking somewhere else entirely.

"Are you the one from International Commerce?" she nodded "my, my… it will be interesting to have you in this class and get to know a different point of view of history." He looked down to his paper, writing something "If you decide to stay, that is… I wouldn't be surprised if someone of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty was incapable of handle so much pressure in a single class."

Petra didn't know what to say, but that man just threw her a challenge in her face, and she was more than willing to accept it. From the beginning, she didn't even consider the possibility of abandon the class, but in that moment, she was determined to get the highest grade and make Levi Ackerman swallow his own words.

The next day, Petra entered the class room with determination in his eyes. It was 6:50 AM. She sat in one of the empty seats in the center of the room and impatiently waited for the Professor to arrive.

An instant later, he was entering the class room. Apparently, he liked to be in the class room at least a couple minutes before the class started. He didn't look at the students when he entered, limiting himself to say good morning and sitting in his chair. He checked his cellphone, to read the news and exactly ad 7 AM he stood up and closed the door. This time, he did look at the students.

"well, well," he counted them "you were 30 yesterday, and there are only 15 of you today. It looks like I broke my personal record after all. I've been teaching this class for the past two years, and this is the first time so many students give up..." the he spoke to himself "perhaps, Erwin is right about my methods…" then he went back to his desk to take attendance, and when he got to Petra's name, he looked at her the same way he did the day before, as if he was studying her with attention.

"Miss Ral, I'm glad you decided to honor us with your presence." He said sarcastically and wrote something on a paper.

"The pleasure is all mine." She dared to say and he looked at her again, this time with a serious gesture on his face, but his eyes showed something different, as if they were smiling.

"We'll see about that." He continued with the attendance and then he started with the class "does anyone know why the period between 1300 and 1600 is called renascence" there was silence for a moment "goddammit… you went to high school, right?" they all nodded "so?" the students remained silent and the Professor sighed "Thomas More was right… Men use, if they have an evil turn, to write it in a marble; and whoso doth us a god turn, we write it in dust."

"It's because…" a guy with blond hair and a man bun finally spoke "it returns to some ideas and philosophies from ancient Greece and Rome."

"Very well, Erd." Apparently, he already learnt the names of the students who didn't abandon the class "It's called renascence because it brings back elements from ancient Greece and Rome. Pretty much all the forgotten knowledge, discharged because it was surpassed. Of course, medieval scientific knowledge can't even compare to the one from Greece. But, speaking about renascence is much more than speaking about philosophy and science. Is talking about art, thought abstractions and even politics. We could say humanity lost its _center_ during that period. Suddenly, the earth wasn't the center of the universe, and thinking didn't have theology as its center either… I want you to read a few chapters from this book. You can find it in the university library."

He wrote the name of the book on the board and then continued. Two hours later, the class was over. Levi seemed to change his attitude when he was teaching, as if the obnoxious and arrogant man from the day before was replaced by an entire different person. One who's passionate about history and sharing knowledge.

What appeared to be a boring and stressful class, began to feel like an excellent way to start the day, or at least that's how Petra considered it. Besides, Professor Ackerman's strange fondness for quoting historic characters was rather peculiar.

A month later, Professor Ackerman told his students to decide on a subject for their final essay.

"Listen up, class. For next week, you should decide on the subject for the final essay. You can choose whatever you want, as long it's related to the class. The idea it that you work on it for the rest of the semester, so I'll expect a high quality work. Like Otto Von Bismark said: the main thing is to make history, not to write it, but in this case, you'll have to write… and do it properly. You cannot make history if you don't know it."

That day, Petra felt confused. She didn't feel confident to pick a subject. She wanted it to be original, but she'd never written an essay like the one Mr. Ackerman was asking for. Suddenly, she remembered the Professor saying they could ask him for academic counseling, so she decided to pay him a visit. Nevertheless, in order to do so, she needed to have at least a few clear ideas, so she hurried to go back home and start with the investigation.

The next day, she went to Professor Ackerman's office. It was a little troublesome for her to get there, since it was an unknown faculty for her, it took her a while to get to the right building.

His office was on the second floor and Petra looked at the numbers on the wall until she found number 117 and when she was almost in front of the door, she saw two people getting out of there.

"Thank you, Doctor Ackerman. See you later." a young man with black hair closed the door and looked at the girl.

"Petra, right?"

"Hi, Gunther… Oluo," she nodded and then looked at the other guy next to him "are you here for counseling too?"

"Yeah, we were a little confused, but the Professor gave us some good ideas to start our essay." With a lot of discretion, he elbowed his friend and said "Oh, Doctor Zoe!... sorry, I need to talk with the Coordinator." And then he hurried to the stirs, leaving Petra and Oluo alone.

"Petra…. If… if you need help with your essay, we could Exchange numbers and I can help you. I have great experience with academic writing."

"Really? Cou…" she was interrupted by a yell coming out from the office.

"Why the hell is there so much noise outside my office, dammit?" the professor opened the door and looked at the students.

"Doctor!... eh, I mean… Professor, I…" Petra tried to explain.

"I'm sorry, I was just telling my classmate that I could help her with his essay and…"

"Oluo… you were just in my office, asking me how to write your freaking essay. Is obvious you don't have the capacity to help Petra with hers. That's what I'm here for."

"Y… yeah, but…"

"Are you going to stay there, Petra? Get inside my office."

"Yes, thank you." And after smiling at Oluo, who was pretty much speechless, she went inside.

"Have a seat."

The professor was right behind her and put a hand on the back of her chair where she was sitting, leaning forward towards her. That took Petra by surprise and she blushed a lot, but she calmed herself after seeing he was just reaching for a folder that was on his desk.

"Sorry, I need to take this to the coordinator. I'll be right back." And then he went out, closing the door behind him.

Petra took the opportunity to relax a little, but she had to admit her heart stopped for a moment. Professor Levi had a nice profile, and she saw it closely a moment before, not to mention his cologne… it was fresh and elegant, just like him. The fragrance lingered inside the office and Petra's nose was delighted with it, while she looked around.

The place was immaculate. Everything was meticulously set on a specific place. There was a tall shelf filled with books and there was a computed on the desk, showing a half written document on the monitor. Behind the desk, there was a table with a small coffee maker that seemed to be brand new.

There were a few noted on the calendar hanged on the wall and even some post-it notes on the monitor, but not a single decoration of personal object… except for a couple medals and a picture of him with her Faculty Coordinator, Erwin Smith and another woman. Petra unconsciously sighed, thinking that woman could be her girlfriend, but abandoned the idea immediately and got distracted with the medals next to the desk.

Levi Ackerman… undoubtedly, the personality and the man himself picked up Petra's attention. It was incredible; all the things he knew and the way his blue eyes sparkled every time he spoke to the class. Even his acid humor was attractive, but that wasn't the time to think about those things, and the best way to erase that thought would be to read the inscriptions in those medals next to the desk.

They were all from trail races, and despite being from different years, they were from the same event "the Titan trail". Petra never imagined the Professor being into sports. He certainly was full of surprises, and then…

"Yeah, I left it in one of my drawers, wait there…" the Professor entered the office and looked for something inside one of the desk drawers. Apparently, he was talking with someone… someone Petra recognized from the photo she had just seen.

"Oh, you've got company." The woman smiled when she saw Petra.

"I told you to wait outside, four eyes. My office is off limits for you. Here's the USB memory." Levi gave her the memory stick "Petra… do you know Hanji Zoe? She's the Social Sciences Faculty Coordinator."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" she kindly smiled, relieved after concluding she couldn't be her girlfriend.

"Petra Ral? Wow… I finally meet you. Erwin spoke to me about you."

"Thank you so much for letting me take a class in your faculty."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was once in your situation, so I know how frustrating it could be to not fill the requirements to graduate on time. But tell me, how are you doing on history class?"

"Tsch… of course she's doing fine. I'm her teacher." Levi growled "now, if you don't mind, I was about to speak with Petra."

"Oh, sure, sure! See you later, then. And don't forget about this Friday's dinner with Erwin and me." Hanji left with a grin on her face and when Levi saw the door closing, she sat on his chair and looked at the girl in front of him.

"She could be a really nuisance…" the girl laughed discreetly "I suppose you are here for your essay."

"I do. I… have a couple doubts about the topic and, to be honest, I'm not used to academic writing. We are usually evaluated with exams of projects in my major and…"

"I understand… International Commerce is more practical than theoretical. Tel me, what do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about doing an analysis about the impact of commerce on military conflicts during the XVIII and XIX century." The Professor's eyes became brighter and a tiny smiled appeared on his lips. Something rare on him.

"My, my… to be honest, I thought you'd choose something like the evolution of commerce through history, or something about the colonies, but… I'm glad I was wrong." He leaned back on his chair and looked at the computed monitor for an instant, while he played with a pen on his hand "you never stop amazing me."

"'I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is." She looked at her for a moment, but he did it in a different way than he did in class. He had a different personality, perhaps because he was inside his office and not surrounded by students, or maybe because he felt comfortable with Petra. Whatever the reason, the change made her smile. "It's an ambitious topic, and if you don't have experience on writing essays, it could be troublesome." She was about to say something, but Levi continued "I've noticed you are very interested in the class. You frequently ask smart questions and is obvious you do some research at home, so I'll give you a choice."

"Yes?" Petra was expectant.

"I'm willing to provide you academic counseling for the rest of the semester, so your essay would be well done."

"Really?"

"…But only, if you transcribe my notes to the computer."

"Your notes?"

"Yes…" he opened one of the drawers and took out a notebook, along with a small box with note cards." I'm meticulous man and with deep-rooted customs, and that causes me some troubles," he opened the notebook "when I read a book or an article, I write down the important parts in a note card or in here, with my own handwriting, so I've accumulated a big pile of papers that need to be transcribed in the computer, so I can have a decent database."

"I understand…" she looked at the notebook. His notes, despite of being organized, were done with a pretty messy handwriting; very different from the one he used to write on the board and Petra fund it quite amusing. That organized and strict man did have a defect, after all "deal." She smiled.

"Alright." And then he immediately started to look through his computer files and Petra seemed confused after his attitude change "do you have an USB memory?"

"I…" she remembered she left it in her room "No, I didn't bring it."

"Damn… this is just as if you were in the battlefield without a weapon…" he opened his drawer again and took a memory stick "I'll lend you this one. Take care of it, and I expect it back without viruses, ok?" he glared at her for an instant and then looked back at the monitor "I'll give you a couple PDF books, so you have enough information for your essay. I'll also add a quoting and referencing manual. I don't want plagiarism of any sort. Any idea you take out of those books, had to be correctly quoted. Do you require a writing manual as well?" he coldly asked, but the girl found his concern a little funny. It was as if he was thinking about everything in a mechanic way.

"No." she laughed "I don't think so."

"Tsch… I'll include it anyways. I don't want to have a big disappointment when I read your progress." And a moment later, heh handed her the memory stick, along with the notebook on his desk "Today is Wednesday, you can bring me the transcriptions next week, in this same memory. As for your progress on the essay, you have two weeks to write a general outline."

"Sounds good."

"I'm usually here after 11 AM and until 5 PM. Not a single minute later. Except for Fridays. I go out at 12 PM."

"Understood. I'll see you tomorrow in class." Petra said goodbye and kindly smiled before going out of his office. He followed her with his gaze.

Once he was alone, Levi leaned back on his chair and looked through the window. When they told him an International Commerce student would take his history class, he expected a completely different girl; someone not interested on the class and who probably would abandon on the first chance, but Petra turned out to be an intelligent, kindhearted and capable girl, and she was also willing to tolerate his attitude. That's why she picked up his attention. Now he was anxiously expecting her first deadline."

To be continued…

 _ **Author's notes.**_

 _ **This story was originally a drabble for tumblr's rivetra week, but since I'm a history geek, ended up writing a longer story, which will have 2 or 3 chapters.**_ _ **I really like where this is going, and I hope you like it as well. I certainly can picture Levi as a strict professor, one of those who are the best, but annoying at the same time.**_


	2. Chapter 2

The following week, Petra took a deep breath before entering Professor Ackerman's office. She'd just finished class back in her faculty and, she ran all the way to his office. It was Friday, 11:30, so she was expecting a scolding from him.

"Come on in." Levi was writing something on his computer and when he saw the girl entering, his focused expression became surprised "Petra…"

"Good morning Professor… I'm sorry I'm late, my class was just finished and…"

"It's alright, sit down."

"I wanted to return you your memory yesterday, but I thought it would be better if I returned it along with my first draft, so…" she took something from her backpack "here it is." He looked at the memory stick for a moment and then back at the girl.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I…" she was confused and her facial expression showed it even more when she heard him laughing "what's the matter?"

"Nothing… I gave you a notebook full of notes with that hideous handwriting of mine, then I told you to bring it next week, expecting you'd ask for an extension, claiming you had a lot of homework…"

"So you did this on purpose?" he remained quiet "well, excuse me, but that's a sick joke… do you have any idea of how many nights I had to go to sleep after 3 AM?"

"I just wanted to teach you that real life isn't as easy as it seems, but…" he looked through the window with nostalgic eyes "It seems like the one who learnt his lesson was me."

Then he looked at Petra again, this time in a different way. Was is shyness what was in his eyes? Regret? She looked at him with great intensity. She seemed to be upset, but almost immediately, she noticed his eyes wanted to tell her the truth and then her expression became softer. For the first time, they were looking at each other beyond the roles of teacher and student. They saw each other as a person.

"I understand… but as a compensation, you'll have to review my draft for next week."

"I'll read it tonight and I'll be expecting you on Monday, so we can review it together." He said with determination and then, his serious attitude was back, but his eyes were smiling "so tell me, what do you think about the books I gave you?"

"I liked the XVIII century History book, but the ones of the XIX century history seemed rather tendentious, besides…"

They kept talking for several minutes. Levi was fascinated with the way she defended her opinions and he listened carefully. Her point of view was, definitely, very different from the one of his other students. Perhaps because she had another major, but whatever the reason, he didn't care. Her ideas seemed refreshing and he liked to listen to her voice, until his cellphone alarm rang.

"I think what you're saying is very interesting. I remember something Voltaire said: I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." He turned off the alarm and looked at his student "actually, Voltaire didn't say such thing." She looked at him with confusion "it was written on the prologue of his biography a few centuries later." A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth "what I want to say, is that you keep questioning what you read." He looked at his watch "I'm afraid we'll have to continue this on Monday, alright?" he waited for her to answer.

"Of course." She smiled and flipped her hair as an unconscious flirty gesture.

"Good." Then he stood up from his seat and took a backpack from below his desk. Petra looked at it and noticed it didn't carry too many things. Then she wondered what would he inside, but he spoke again "I train earlier on Fridays."

"Oh…" then she looked at his medals, speculating.

"I'm a trail runner." His voice was serene, without emotion, but while she wasn't looking, his eyes studied her carefully.

"Wow, today I learnt something new about you, Professor." She said casually and stood up from the chair "I'll see you on Monday. Good luck." And then she went out his office with a big smile, leaving Levi with a slight desire to smile, but he couldn't smile so easily, so he remained silent for a moment and then headed to his training activities.

The expected Monday arrived and history class was, as always, pretty interesting, but it wouldn't be until three hours later that Petra would visit the Professor on his office, because she had other two classes.

When she was finally outside his office, she felt a slight pain on her stomach and her hands for the first time. She was nervous and expectant.

"Come on in, Petra." Levi's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Thank you." She entered and sat in the chair in front of his desk, noticing he was standing up, his back facing her.

"Do you like tea?"

"Tea?" that was the last question she expected to hear.

"Yes." He looked at her "I'm asking you if you'd like some tea." He coldly added.

"Oh… yes, please." She hurried to answer. Apparently, that coffee maker was used, after all. Although it made tea instead of coffee. "Thanks." she took the mug he handed her.

"I read your draft." He took a sip and opened a document on his computer "I think it's a good start, but there are some observations you need to check before starting to write…"

He turned the computer monitor so she could see the document and started to speak in a very professional way, as if he was in class, with the same emotion and spark on his eyes.

Meanwhile, she took note, anxious to see what she could improve and the approaches she could use on the essay, and at the same time, new ideas came to her mind.

When they were done, they spoke for several minutes. Levi brought up the talk they had on Friday, but this time, he shared his opinions as well, and he even suggested some other books and movies, in case she wanted to learn more about it.

The academic counseling sessions continued for the rest of the semester, but gradually became an excuse for Levi and Petra to talk and get to know each other better. They both knew it, but they didn't say a thing; they were completely discreet about it. Additionally, the barrier between professor and student was always there, and neither of them dared to cross it.

The truth was, Petra changed her perception about him. At first, she judged him as an antipathetic and unfriendly guy with a huge ego, but then she considered him as some kind of misunderstood and bad-tempered genius, with little tolerance for people in general, and yet he always showed himself kind and considerate towards her. Only with her… Petra frequently wondered about the reason behind such behavior, and her imagination began to wander.

Levi was interested in her. Petra managed to pick up his curiosity from the moment she decided to not abandon the class, and the girl managed to earn his appreciation, little by little. A heartwarming surprise he didn't expect. He eagerly looked forward to her weekly visits to his office, so they could talk and drink tea, while exchanging opinions and he thought about new ideas to get to know her better.

Finally, deadline to finish the essay arrived. Petra was sure she'd get a good grade; she'd included all the observations Levi made and the analysis was impeccable. She was aware of the rigorousness he'd have when grading her essay, but still, she felt confident about it.

This would be the last day of class, and the program was already finished, so Levi decided to do something different.

"Before you give me your essay and leave this class, I'd like to congratulate you, because you've done a great effort by taking this class. I'm a severe and strict professor and, as I said the first day of class, I expect the best from my student. And yet, none of you faltered. I supposed that… like Peron once said _I have never seen a brute becoming intelligent_ , and you guys are the living prove of that. The students who left this class from the start, will get a mediocre 7 and you…" he made a pause and looked at them "you'll get a better grade, but most important, the satisfaction of learning to valuate history and see it with different eyes. The main thing is to make history, not to write it…"

"That's a quote from Otto Von Bismark!" Erd said from his seat

"That's right. I was beginning to worry you didn't pay attention in class." Lei answered with sarcasm and the students laughed. They were already used to his sense of humor "I hope you use what you learnt here in your future life. You'll soon finish college and will face the real world… be congruent and consequent. Don't expect the best opportunity to knock on your door, because it never will. Just… act, goddammit. Don't be like Shah Jahan, whose greatest expression of love for his wife was her tomb… the Taj Mahal. History is important, but live in the present." He looked at Petra for an instant and then sad on his desk "please, give me your essays and then you may leave. Next week I'll have your grades. Go to my office to get them."

All the students handed him their final work and he received them, one by one, but Petra waited to the very end. She felt nostalgia, because this was the last class, so she approached Levi and handed him a folder with solemnity.

"Thank you, Petra." He smiled with his eyes, but his expression remained serious and perhaps a little more rigid than usual, expectant for what she might say.

"Thanks to you, professor. I would have liked to take more of your classes."

"I'll see you next week, when you go and get your final grade." She nodded and left the classroom, followed by Levi's gaze, who felt grateful there was no one else there, because his eyes showed exactly what was running through his mind.

The following week, Levi anxiously waited for Petra to appear in his office; it could be the last chance to spend time with her and, as inappropriate it could be, he'd miss her.

When Petra finally entered his office, she did it with a big smile on her face. She decided to show him her best smile and appear happy, despite feeling nostalgic because, she also thought it could be the last time she'd be there.

"Come on in…"

"Professor… I've come to get my grade."

"Petra…" he put on the desk a folder with his essay "what grade do you think you've got?"

"I don't know…"

"I'm sure you had expectations." He raised an eyebrow as a reproach.

"Yes." She looked at him in the eye, with resolution "from the first day, I was determined to get the highest grade." She laughed "you seemed to have so little faith in me, I wanted you to bite your tongue and…"

"Well, apparently you managed to achieve it. You've got a 10, congratulations." He made a pause "besides, you'll soon graduate, right?" she nodded "with more reason, let me congratulate you."

"Thank you, professor. For everything…"

"Miss Ral, I'm glad you decided to honor us with your presence." He said with irony, remembering what happened at the beginning of the course.

"The pleasure is all mine." She laughed, surprised for his good memory. She was about to say something, when the door opened and someone entered.

"Levi! I need to talk to you. The next course's planning… oh, sorry I thought you were alone." Said Hanji when she saw Petra.

"oh, it's ok. I was about to leave…" the girl stood up from the chair and looked at Levi for the last time "see you later, professor. Thank you."

"Farewell…" he managed to say before Petra walked out the door. His voice sounded disconsolate, but he immediately became aware of it, and recovered his usual grumpy expression. "four eyes… what do you want?"

"I came to talk about the next course's planning." She saw Petra walking away "but if I'd knew you were with her, I would have waited."

"Don't be stupid." He looked for a file on his computer, distracting himself "here's the planning." He looked at the monitor, waiting for his friend to sit down and start working.

"Erwin told me the graduation of the international commerce major would be next Friday, at 6 PM… you might want to assist."

"Tsch… that's none of your business."

A week passed. It was Friday the day of Petra's graduation, and she was very excited about the ceremony. She'd spend the whole day anticipating how would it be and what she'd do after college.

The students were sitting in the front part of the auditorium and, behind them, their families and friends. Petra anxiously waited to hear her name to go and get her diploma and, among other things, she noticed his Faculty Coordinator, Erwin Smith, having a very peculiar smile on his face, but she didn't mind him at all, and as soon as she heard her name, she stood up and went to the stage with great illusion.

Right before she walked down the stage, she looked for her father among the crowd. He was a few lines behind her seat, but then she was very surprised after seeing professor Ackerman in the back part of the auditorium.

Her heart skipped a beat and she became overjoyed. Now she felt her graduation was perfect and she couldn't wait to speak with him after the ceremony was over.

After the Coordinator's speech, the student threw their graduation caps in the air, celebrating, and then the ceremony ended. Immediately, Petra's father approached her to embrace her, telling her how proud he was of her accomplishment. A couple minutes later, Levi came close to them and cleared his throat to pick up Petra's attention.

He wore a black suit and necktie, which made him look even more handsome than usual. His white shirt was impeccable and he carried a pen on his pocket. As a good academic, he never knew when he'd need to write something down. Petra smiled showed him a beautiful smile when she saw him.

"Professor!"

"Petra… I believe you should stop calling me professor. You just graduated…" he said casually.

"Dad, let me introduce you to professor… eh, I mean… Levi Ackerman. He was my history teacher."

"Pleased to meet you." Mister Ral shook hands with him "Petra used to talk a lot about you. I believe she admires you a lot."

"Dad…" she said with a persuasive tone.

"Thank you so much for everything you did for her." He smiled at the professor and then looked away. Apparently the toast had just started. "If you'd excuse me, I'd like to get a glass of wine. I'll be right back." And then she conveniently walked away.

"Congratulations." Levi used a serious tone

"Thank you. I… didn't expect to see you here." There was solemnity on her voice.

"Come on, don't be so formal. I'm not your teacher anymore." She slightly blushed "we… couldn't finish talking last week and…"

"I know. To be honest, I felt a little nostalgic about it. I'll miss our little talks." She said with sorrow and her eyes got a little wet.

"Petra, I…I'm not good for these things…" he looked at the floor with dissatisfaction.

"I don't think anyone's good with goodbyes." She felt the urge to take his hand, but she didn't. Meanwhile, Levi looked at her with frustration and then he took a deep breath.

"Napoleon Bonaparte." He firmly said "when he met Josephine, it was love at first sight." It was the same tone he used in class "but it was unrequited. Nevertheless, they got married and lived separately for long time. Still, she didn't return his affections, and resigned, Napoleon divorced her. Ironically, a little after that, she fell in love with him, but he was already married to someone else, only to realize the one he truly loved as Josephine…" Petra looked at him with confusion "what I want to say is… the Taj Mahal… I guess what I told you guys in class was also a lesson for me. We shouldn't wait for the best moment, because it'll never come."

"Are you saying that…?"

"Petra, would you like to go to the movies with me?... or wherever you what, we could go to…"

"I'd love to!" She smiled and took the pen that was on his pocket. Then she took his hand to write down her phone number "call me." Then she put back the pen on his pocket and got closer to him to kiss him on the cheek, leaving Levi speechless "I should go and look for my dad. I'll see you later." She walked away, but before doing it, she sweetly smiled at him again.

A moment later, Erwin approached Levi. He'd seen the whole scene from afar.

"Well, that was an unexpected turn."

"Oh, shut up." Levi looked at him with severity and then checked the number written on his hand, memorizing it.

Without a doubt, he would call Petra the next day.

 _ **Author' notes.**_

 _ **Well, this is the final chapter. I hope you liked the story and enjoyed the historic references and quotes (I'm such a nerd). Personally, I had a lot of fun writing it and had a lot of college feelings… and I'm happy with the results. Now I'll think about rivetra every time I ask a professor for academic counseling.**_

 _ **Take care!**_


End file.
